6 ms·

Technically, California Law Says Daylight Time Starts Last Sunday in April

26 points by DrScump 10y ago

DrScump 10y ago
The link shows current law in the red strikethrough type. (This particular bill, AB807, seeks to eliminate Daylight Time altogether, statewide). I couldn't find a plain, direct reference using the broken search tools on the California Legislature official site. Because the Daylight Saving Time Act was originally passed as an Initiative Statute (by voter petition), the Legislature can't change it without it going back before the voters in a statewide election and gaining at least a simple majority of Yes votes.
- Taniwha 10y ago
  Yes it repeals the act, but it also adds a new section to the CA state code that reimplents DST there
  - DrScump 10y ago
    It would do as you wrote, if it passes, is signed by the governor, and is approved by voters. I don't know why they don't just do a clean revocation bill to fix the anachronism.
donatj 10y ago
Is it a crime to not acknowledge daylight savings time? I mean it's a law so it must be... What happens if I as a person or a city or a major corporation ignore it? Do I get a fine? If not and everyone hates it, why not just ignore it. Without trying to sound like a crazy person, when and where did the federal government get the power to set the time? I'm genuinely curious as I know from history class time used to be a far more local construct varying for city to city. Update: found [1] with a little bit of searching. Really interesting. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Time_Act https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Time_Act
- URSpider94 10y ago
  It's not a crime to ignore daylight savings time, that makes no sense. However, if you show up an hour late for work and get fired, or an hour late for court and get held in contempt, you're not going to have an excuse.
- bewaretheirs 10y ago
  > when and where did the federal government get the power to set the time? Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution lists the powers of Congress. One of the enumerated powers is to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures".
- bedros 10y ago
  counties in state of indiana did not always follow standard time of the state https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    Oh growing up this was fun. My neighbor school district was right on the DST / Not DST line. So half the year the entire school district was in the same time zone. Half the year they were an hour apart. Thankfully this was mostly straightened out in the last 5 years. NW and SW corners go central, the rest go Eastern. Seems mostly more sane. I still think it would be a small benefit for the entire state to go Eastern, but I do understand why the counties very close to Chicago want to stay on the same time zone.
Animats 10y ago
Federal preemption. Uniform Time Act of 1966. States can opt out of Daylight Savings Time, but can't do it differently.
- ploxiln 10y ago
  Well that's downright reasonable. Bravo, 1966 federal lawmakers.
  - JBlue42 10y ago
    It's like they were actually trying back then.
_nalply 10y ago
It's confusing. Once when I and my wife were tourists in USA, we experienced the switch to Daylight Time three times. First in New York City where we missed our train. Then another time in Arizona. We suddenly discovered a Sunday that time was off but luckily it was of no importance. Then a last time again at home in Switzerland, where we missed again an appointment. I am not sure about Arizona. Is it really true that states might have different daylight times?
- mackal 10y ago
  Arizona doesn't observe daylight savings.
  - Osiris 10y ago
    It's actually called "Daylight Saving Time", but it's a common mistake.
    - khedoros1 10y ago
      There's a funny thing about "mistakes" in language. The more common they are, the less they're mistakes.
      - allengeorge 10y ago
        In which region is it common to call in Daylight Time? In New York I always hear it referred to as Daylight Savings Time.
        khedoros1 10y ago
        "Daylight Time"? Nowhere that I've been. Mackal said that Arizona doesn't observe "daylight savings", and Osiris corrected them with "Daylight Saving Time". That's the difference that I was referring to. I hear "daylight savings" quite often.
    - _nalply 10y ago
vuldin 10y ago
More and more lately, I think about how any future intelligent life will be looking back at how we live now and will do so with increasing disbelief the more and more they learn about us.

26 points by DrScump 10y ago

The link shows current law in the red strikethrough type. (This particular bill, AB807, seeks to eliminate Daylight Time altogether, statewide). I couldn't find a plain, direct reference using the broken search tools on the California Legislature official site. Because the Daylight Saving Time Act was originally passed as an Initiative Statute (by voter petition), the Legislature can't change it without it going back before the voters in a statewide election and gaining at least a simple majority of Yes votes.

Taniwha 10y ago
Yes it repeals the act, but it also adds a new section to the CA state code that reimplents DST there
- DrScump 10y ago
  It would do as you wrote, if it passes, is signed by the governor, and is approved by voters. I don't know why they don't just do a clean revocation bill to fix the anachronism.

donatj 10y ago

Is it a crime to not acknowledge daylight savings time? I mean it's a law so it must be... What happens if I as a person or a city or a major corporation ignore it? Do I get a fine? If not and everyone hates it, why not just ignore it. Without trying to sound like a crazy person, when and where did the federal government get the power to set the time? I'm genuinely curious as I know from history class time used to be a far more local construct varying for city to city. Update: found [1] with a little bit of searching. Really interesting. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Time_Act https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Time_Act

URSpider94 10y ago
It's not a crime to ignore daylight savings time, that makes no sense. However, if you show up an hour late for work and get fired, or an hour late for court and get held in contempt, you're not going to have an excuse.
bewaretheirs 10y ago
> when and where did the federal government get the power to set the time? Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution lists the powers of Congress. One of the enumerated powers is to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures".
bedros 10y ago
counties in state of indiana did not always follow standard time of the state https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Indiana
- brianwawok 10y ago
  Oh growing up this was fun. My neighbor school district was right on the DST / Not DST line. So half the year the entire school district was in the same time zone. Half the year they were an hour apart. Thankfully this was mostly straightened out in the last 5 years. NW and SW corners go central, the rest go Eastern. Seems mostly more sane. I still think it would be a small benefit for the entire state to go Eastern, but I do understand why the counties very close to Chicago want to stay on the same time zone.

Animats 10y ago

Federal preemption. Uniform Time Act of 1966. States can opt out of Daylight Savings Time, but can't do it differently.

ploxiln 10y ago
Well that's downright reasonable. Bravo, 1966 federal lawmakers.
- JBlue42 10y ago
  It's like they were actually trying back then.

_nalply 10y ago

It's confusing. Once when I and my wife were tourists in USA, we experienced the switch to Daylight Time three times. First in New York City where we missed our train. Then another time in Arizona. We suddenly discovered a Sunday that time was off but luckily it was of no importance. Then a last time again at home in Switzerland, where we missed again an appointment. I am not sure about Arizona. Is it really true that states might have different daylight times?

mackal 10y ago
Arizona doesn't observe daylight savings.
- Osiris 10y ago
  It's actually called "Daylight Saving Time", but it's a common mistake.
  - khedoros1 10y ago
    There's a funny thing about "mistakes" in language. The more common they are, the less they're mistakes.
    - allengeorge 10y ago
      In which region is it common to call in Daylight Time? In New York I always hear it referred to as Daylight Savings Time.
      - khedoros1 10y ago
        "Daylight Time"? Nowhere that I've been. Mackal said that Arizona doesn't observe "daylight savings", and Osiris corrected them with "Daylight Saving Time". That's the difference that I was referring to. I hear "daylight savings" quite often.
  - _nalply 10y ago

vuldin 10y ago

More and more lately, I think about how any future intelligent life will be looking back at how we live now and will do so with increasing disbelief the more and more they learn about us.